


Three Wizards and a Baby

by EmeraldLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Asexuality Spectrum, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21504340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/pseuds/EmeraldLight
Summary: ~~“Dispose of this,” Lucius told him, depositing a bundle of blankets into Severus’ arms... “Twins,” the older blonde sniffed. “Purebloods don’t have twins for the first pregnancy, it just isn’t done" ... “Dispose of the child, Severus. Do your duty like a good boy and make sure no one knows of this. I have only one child. One son.” And with that, Lucius turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Severus gaping and unbelieving of what he had been asked to do.~~Severus, with the help of Sirius and Remus, starts down the path of fatherhood.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Comments: 78
Kudos: 267





	1. Chapter 1

When Lucius Malfoy asked his best friend, Severus Snape, to come to his house (and fast), Severus assumed it was because Lucius’ wife, Narcissa, had finally given birth to the first born Malfoy heir and Lucius wanted to celebrate. And he wasn’t wrong… but he also wasn’t quite correct, either.

“Dispose of this,” Lucius told him, depositing a bundle of blankets into Severus’ arms before the young man had come fully through the floo. Severus stumbled backwards, his shoulders knocking into the hearth as he gazed down at the bundle in his arms. Ice blue eyes stared back at him, the baby quiet and oddly calm for a newborn. Severus could see that the child hadn’t even been cleaned off yet and he frowned as he turned his attention to his friends.

“What’s going on, Lucius?”

“Twins,” the older blonde sniffed. “Purebloods don’t have twins for the first pregnancy, it just isn’t done. If the Healer had told us it was twins in the beginning, we would have terminated one right that moment, but the useless woman didn’t know there were two until Narcissa gave birth.”

“Lucius…”

“Dispose of the child, Severus. Do your duty like a good boy and make sure no one knows of this. I have only one child. One son.” And with that, Lucius turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Severus gaping and unbelieving of what he had been asked to do. Once more he gazed at the strangely quiet child in his arms before he heaved a deep sigh and adjusted the bundle in his arms. Holding the child tight (but not too tight) against his chest, Severus grabbed a handful of floo powder and, after a bit of hesitation, flooed back to his home.

Once he was standing in his own shabby living room, Severus sighed once more.

“What in the world am I going to do with you?” he asked, not that he expected an answer. He had no idea how to take care of a baby but he sure as hell wasn’t going to simply kill the child as he had been instructed. Thinking of Lucius made him hold the child close once more, appalled at the actions of a man he called his best friend. Not that he would ever call him such things ever again.

“Potter’s expecting a baby,” he said suddenly, a thrill running up his spine. “They’ll know what to do!” He made sure the baby was still wrapped securely in its towel before he apparated as close to the Potter home as was possible - right onto the front lawn of James and Lily Potter’s home in Godric’s Hollow. He felt like everything was moving much too quickly but at the same time, he felt as though he was moving much too slowly as well.

Striding to the door, Severus knocked curtly on the door, gently bouncing the child in his arms, not that it had made any noise. If it wasn’t for the wide, bright blue eyes constantly watching him, Severus would have worried that the child had died.

James opened the door with a smile, though it faded into a frown as soon as he saw Severus standing on his stoop.

“What do you want, Snape?”

“I need your help,” Severus said quickly, nodding his head towards the child in his arms. “I don’t know how to take care of a baby.” James all but sneered at him, barely sparing a glance at the baby before he rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion with one of his hands.

“You should have wrapped it before you tapped it, Snape. That’s your problem, not ours.”

“But--” Severus tried again, taking a step forward, only to be greeted by the end of James’ wand being pointed under his chin. 

“You aren’t wanted here, Snape. I thought Lily made that perfectly clear. Now, get off our property.”

“You don’t understand!” Severus all but pleaded, panic rising in him. “The baby isn’t--” His words were cut short as James slammed the door in his face, leaving Severus fighting back tears. Behind him he could hear snickers and the beginnings of laughter, Remus and Sirius arriving to visit their friends. The two had heard enough to know that Severus was apparently suddenly a father and had every intention of mocking him.

“The baby isn’t mine…” Severus said softly, closing his eyes against the tears as he took a deep breath before turning away from the door. He knew he was probably looking rather upset, probably a bit red in the face, and his eyes were no doubt glassy.

“It’s not yours?” Remus asked quietly, all traces of mockery gone as he and Sirius realized that whatever was going on was clearly no laughing matter. When Severus shook his head the two quickly darted forward, Remus taking the child from Severus’ arms and quickly checking the baby over.

“It hasn’t cried at all…” Severus mumbled, quickly becoming overwhelmed with the entire situation. Sirius took his arm and held the dark haired male steady, the two watching as Remus unbundled the child.

“It’s a boy,” Remus told them. “And he’s still covered in blood… How long have you had him?”

“Not even an hour,” Severus admitted, forcing himself to take several deep breaths. He was grateful to have someone finally listening to him.

“Where did you get him?” Sirius tried to ask but Severus only shook his head, mumbling about how he couldn’t tell them.

“I know Lily is due soon and I thought they might help me,” he explained. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had siblings! I’m only nineteen!” Panic was rising once again and Remus frowned, bundling the child up once again.

“We should take him to St. Mungo’s,” Sirius said. “Why didn’t you take him there?”

“I can’t,” Severus said, his voice shaky. “His parents… they… they told me to dispose of him… If I take him to St. Mungo’s they’ll run a lineage trace on him and if this baby goes back to the parents… they’ll do what I couldn’t do.” Remus and Sirius were horrified, staring at Severus with shocked expressions. They had to think fast. They had no way of knowing if the child had been seen by a Healer, if he was healthy, and it was somewhat concerning that he wasn’t making any noise.

“Poppy?” Sirius offered, glancing at his boyfriend.

“Poppy,” Remus confirmed, nodding. “We’ll apparate home and then floo to Hogwarts, immediately.” Sirius curled his arms around Severus and held him close, even though holding his elbow would have been more than enough for a side-along apparation, the two vanishing from the grass of Godric’s Hollow and appearing inside the flat Remus and Sirius shared. Severus was clearly in shock as he let Sirius shuttle him around, the two waiting for Remus to go on ahead of them through the floo before he was once more being held tightly and Sirius pulled him into the floo.

Everything from there was somewhat a blur to the slender aspiring potions master, Severus allowing himself to be settled onto a bed as Remus called out for Hogwarts’ Healer, Madam Poppy Pomfrey.

“What in the world is going on?” Madam Pomfrey asked as she came out from her office, frowning at the sight of her long time patient, Remus, holding a bundle that she could only assume was a baby.

“We need help,” Remus admitted, glancing over his shoulder at his boyfriend who was tending to Severus before turning his attention back to his Healer turned friend. “Severus was handed a baby about an hour ago and it hasn’t cried once and it’s still wet and bloody and…” His words were coming out in a jumble as his own anxiety began to break through his previously calm exterior. Madam Pomfrey sighed softly and offered a kind smile, crossing the room to gently take the child from Remus’ arms.

“Well, first we’ll start with some diagnostic spells,” she told them, though she wasn’t sure if Severus was listening, or capable of listening. “While I do the spells, you can get some hot water and some towels and start cleaning him off, Remus.” The brunette nodded, doing as he was asked and moving to gather the requested supplies. After seven years of monthly visits, Remus was nearly as familiar with the medical wing as Madam Pomfrey herself was.

“They’re taking care of him right now,” Sirius told Severus, coaxing the other man to lay down on the bed. He wasn’t sure if Severus was aware of anything that was going on around them, but he didn’t want to simply walk away and leave the young man without some sort of support.

“We’ve all really changed, eh?” he continued, moving to sit on the floor beside the bed, leaning back against the edge of it and letting his head fall backwards so he was looking at the ceiling.

“Out of school barely a year and things are really changing, for all of us. James and Lily are having a baby in less than two months. Remus and I moved in together. I got a random inheritance from a disowned uncle I knew nothing about… Oh, and I got a job!” Sirius was rambling, moving his hands as he spoke. “I’m working at Broomstix, in the Alley. Remus is still looking, but you know how that goes, him being sick and all. He’s super smart, though, so I keep telling him not to give up.” While he wasn’t sure if Severus was aware of where they were and what was going on, Sirius smiled to himself as he felt Severus’ fingers find their way into his hair. It was barely noticeable, a gentle touch to his long, wavy locks, but he felt it nonetheless and wasn’t going to complain. Everyone loved having their hair played with, even if Severus hadn’t done more than rest his fingers in the silky mass.

Only a few beds over, Madam Pomfrey and Remus were having a quiet, but very serious, conversation regarding the infant male. Diagnostic spells had deemed the boy perfectly healthy, even if he still hadn’t cried, and gentle hands had cleared the remains of the birth from his pale skin, exposing hair so blonde it was hard to see.

“And you have no idea where Severus got the child?” Madam Pomfrey asked once more, keeping her voice low. Remus shook his head, only able to tell the woman what Severus had told him - the boy was meant to be disposed of and Severus had opted to seek help instead.

“Well, I’ll give you a list of supplies you’re going to need, if you’re going to keep him.” The older woman paused, glancing between Remus and the two dark haired males a ways away from them.

“Are all three of you keeping him? Or just Severus?”

“Oh… I…” Remus wasn’t sure how to answer. The child wasn’t his, nor was it Sirius’, but Severus had asked for help.

“I see. Well, you’re the most level headed at the moment, so I’m going to trust you to at least take the time to educate Severus, alright?” the woman continued, showing Remus how to pin a cloth diaper in place without skewering the child.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus wasn’t quite sure when he had fallen asleep, but he was rapidly becoming aware of the fact that he wasn’t in his own bed. Nor was he in his own home. Heart racing, Severus sat up quickly and reached for his wand, not that he found it anywhere near him. The bedroom was sparse, sporting a mattress on the floor and not much else. Not all that different from his own room, he mused, but he at least had a boxspring under his mattress.

Outside of the room he could hear someone talking quietly and the gentle clink of a spoon stirring something inside a ceramic mug. Severus pushed himself to his feet, rubbing the grit from his eyes and nearly tripping over himself when he kicked his wand across the floor. Apparently it had been close by, but out of sight.

The voice in the adjoining room went quiet and Severus frowned, bending to pick up his wand before he carefully, and slowly, opened the door. The sight that greeted him was equal parts comforting and confusing - Remus Lupin stood in the middle of a modest living room, holding the newborn baby boy in his arms.

“Shoot,” Remus frowned. “I was hoping I hadn’t woken you. I was trying to be quiet.” Severus smiled, a sight that almost startled Remus - he had never seen Severus smile, ever - and the darker haired (near) adult stepped out of the room, stretching his arms above his head, causing his shirt to ride up and exposing his slender stomach and pale skin.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Almost twenty four hours,” Remus told him, motioning for Severus to sit down on the couch. “Sit, I’ll get some tea and toast for you.” Severus opened his mouth to protest but opted to simply allow Remus to tend to him.

“Thank you…”

“Sirius is at work, and our little bean here still hasn’t made a single peep,” Remus told Severus, moving into the kitchen to prepare the toast and tea. “He slept well, but I still stayed awake most of the night… I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t hear him, or notice him, if he was hungry or dirty or something.” Remus moved around the kitchen, working one handed as though he was well practiced in the ways of holding a child. Severus watched from his place on the couch, absently crossing his legs under himself and curling his toes a little.

“Little bean?”

“Well, he doesn’t have a name. Sirius wanted to name him almost as soon as we got him home, but I told him that was your job. He’s your son, after all.”

“My son…” The very idea of having a child was foreign to Severus, and it certainly wasn’t something he had ever considered. After dealing with his obsessive issues with Lily, the dark haired young man hadn’t considered being in a relationship, let alone becoming a parent.

“Poppy would really appreciate more information, but I told her everything you told us… that taking little bean back to his actual parents would most likely result in him being killed…” Remus pressed a kiss to the baby’s head as he said this, the very idea of killing a child making his heart hurt.

“I couldn’t do it,” Severus said softly, looking down at his hands which sat on his lap. “I couldn’t believe he asked me to do it…”

“He?”

“I can’t… Remus, I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that. If they were to find out that the baby is still alive…” Severus squeezed his eyes closed, feeling his heart rate begin to pick up once again. Remus sighed softly, flicking his wand and levitating the tray of tea and toast towards the living room. As the tray settle on the coffee table, Remus and baby sat down in the chair across from the couch.

“The tea is well sugared, so I suggest you drink it, and eat some toast. You had quite the day yesterday.”

“Thank you…” Severus did as he was told, reaching forward to curl his fingers around the mug, enjoying the warmth. Despite the June temperatures, Severus found himself cold and feeling rather drained.

“Sirius suggested we bring you back to our place so we could watch over the baby while you rested,” Remus told him. “Sorry our spare bedroom is honestly not really a bedroom. We’ve never had a reason to use it so we transfigured one of our living room chairs into the mattress we laid you on. I suggested just putting you on the couch but we didn’t know when you’d wake up and Sirius said we would wake you if you slept out here.”

Indeed there was a chair missing from its place beside the chair Remus was sitting on, and Severus gave a small smile as he sipped at his tea.

“We were thinking… I mean, we don’t know what your house is like, but if you wanted… you could move in with us?” It felt a bit awkward to suggest such things, Remus feeling his cheeks growing warm. Why in the world was this so weird? He was just asking Severus to be a roommate!

“Move in?” Severus paused in taking a bite of the toast, licking crumbs from his lips. He thought of his own flat, a run down apartment above a questionable shop in Knockturn Alley, where water sometimes refused to come out of the pipes and no amount of spells seemed to keep the cold air out, or the warm air in.

“We want to help take care of this little one,” Remus gently bounced the baby in his arms. “Even if he doesn’t have a name yet.”

“We’re enemies,” Severus said slowly, thinking carefully on his words. “We did some… terrible things to one another…”

“In school,” Remus nodded. “We bullied you, which was wrong, and you did everything you could to expose my illness to the world, which was also wrong. But we’re adults now, and unlike James, we’ve apparently grown past our schoolyard indiscretions. We want to help you, Severus. We want to move past the shit we pulled in school and, well, we want to be friends.”

“Friends?” Severus took another bite of his toast, mulling over his decision.

“Well, I mean, we could have followed James’ example and laughed in your face when you came to him for help,” Remus shrugged. “But you looked so terrified…”

“I kind of went catatonic after Potter slammed the door in my face,” Severus sighed, leaning forward and setting his toast and tea on the coffee table.

“You really did,” Remus chuckled. “Sirius took care of you while I took care of little man here. He even packed you home and changed your clothes, by the way.”

Severus immediately looked down at his clothing, his eyes widening at the sight of the Gryffindor Quidditch team t-shirt (Beater position!) and black sweatpants that clothed him. Remus watched with amusement as Severus slowly tugged on the band of the pants, finding out that he was not wearing any undergarments.

“He didn’t think you would be okay with wearing a pair of his boxers, even if they were freshly laundered,” Remus said, trying (and failing) to keep a straight face. “You’re impressively tiny, even compared to Sirius. Luckily those pants have a drawstring.”

“Black saw me naked,” Severus sputtered, releasing the waistband with trembling hands. There was no anger on his face, only bright red cheeks and a look of pure embarrassment, and perhaps a little horror.

“Would this be the wrong time to mention the fact you seem to shave your pubic hair?”

Severus wondered if someone could die of humiliation. Here he had thought that dealing with Potter during his time at Hogwarts had been the peak of humiliation, but no, this was absolutely worse.

“I’ve considered it, honestly,” Remus continued, a large grinning spreading across his face. “I mean, who doesn’t? Body hair is just… not really my thing, and honestly, I deal with it once a month and it’s not something I think about and yearn for more.”

“Please stop.”

“Does it make your dick look bigger? That’s what Sirius wants to know, though I have a feeling he’s going to come home from work and present me with a lack of pubes soon enough.”

“Lupin. Please.”

“You do know that he and I are in a relationship, right? We’ve been shagging since sixth year.”

Severus actually tipped over onto his side, pulling his knees against his chest and hiding his face. His flexibility was impressive and Remus absolutely had to comment on that, though he was rapidly losing the battle against the laughter brewing inside him.

*****

Sirius arrived home to see Severus moving his belongings into the spare bedroom. He also noted that the slender male was back to wearing his robes, hiding his fit body. Most younger wizards were embracing wearing pants and more ‘Muggle’ clothing, but Severus clearly wasn’t one of them.

“Convinced him, I see,” he said to Remus as the brunette came over for a soft kiss. Remus smiled, curling his arms around Sirius’ neck and pressing his body close as he allowed the kiss to linger for several moments.

“Mmm, hello there,” Sirius chuckled, sliding his hands over his boyfriend’s hips. Remus was smaller than him in height and had a compact body, but was overall thicker than him. And Severus. Not that he was thinking about Severus in that way, of course.

“He hasn’t spoken to me since I broke him right before lunch,” Remus admitted, glancing over his shoulder as Severus apparated away once again.

“You broke him?”

Remus and Sirius were laughing somewhat hysterically when Severus arrived, the two pausing for a moment to observe the dark haired male before laughing even hard, making Severus roll his eyes. Clearly Remus had told Sirius about their earlier conversation.

Rude.

It really didn’t take all that many trips back and forth from his flat in Knockturn Alley for Severus to completely move in. He didn’t have that many belongings, and those were easily shrunk down for transport, but his potions supplies took a lot more effort and couldn’t be shrunk.

“So… are you working, Severus?” Sirius asked once the move had been completed, sprawling on the couch with the still unnamed newborn resting on his chest. Severus nodded, closing his new bedroom door before coming to sit in the living room as well. His transfigured mattress had been returned to its original state, giving the three of them a place to sit comfortably.

“I’m apprenticing at the potions shop in the Alley,” he said, once again pulling his legs under himself.

“I should have figured that,” Sirius chuckled. “You’ve always had an impressive talent for potion making. Going for Master, then?”

“Yes.”

“Are you thinking of opening your own shop?”

“Perhaps,” Severus nodded, though he hadn’t truly thought of what he would do after completing his apprenticeship. He still had several years to complete, after all. Sirius smiled, gently rubbing that back of the infant that slept soundly on his chest. It still amazed him that something so tiny could have been discarded so easily, not to mention he had never heard of a baby that didn’t cry.

“Can you find me a job?” Remus asked, bringing their dinner into the living room - three plates of Muggle chinese food to celebrate Severus moving in.

“I can certainly try,” Severus smiled, accepting his dinner. He was used to cooking for himself and couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten take out so this was quite the treat. He made a mental note to slip Remus some money to cover the cost of his portion of the food. They hadn’t discussed Severus paying any sort of rent but he also didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

“It’s hard when I want three random days off each month, and they aren’t the same days every month, but also don’t want to explain the situation,” the brunette sighed.

“Something down Knockturn Alley would probably suit you,” Severus commented, though the look Remus and Sirius gave him quickly told him that he had said something wrong.

“That’s a place for Dark wizards…” Sirius said, sitting up slowly and adjusting the baby on his chest.

“Well, yes, but those types of people would also be more willing to employ someone with a ‘secret agenda’.”

Sirius snorted, moving to lay the child in the nearby bassinette - they didn’t have a nursery for him and since he had yet to cry to announce that he was hungry or soiled it was hard to have the baby out of sight.

“Just a suggestion,” Severus tried to defend himself, looking down at the plate of food resting on his lap.

“I appreciate any help,” Remus told him. “I’ll take your suggestion under consideration.”

“Have you thought of a name for him?” Sirius changed the subject, sitting back down on the couch and picking up his own plate of food.

“Zev.”

“Zev?” Remus frowned, his head tilting ever so slightly.

“Is that short for Zeverus?” Sirius asked, snickering around a mouthful of food.

“Just Zev,” Severus sighed.

“Zeverus Znape!” Sirius cackled, nearly choking on his food as he amused himself. Severus looked highly unimpressed and Remus groaned, actively facepalming as his boyfriend broke into full on hysterical laughter.

“Are you about done?” Severus asked. “Or are you going to laugh like this all night?”

“Alright, alright, I’m done,” Sirius wheezed, blowing out a long breath to calm himself after several minutes of self inflicted amusement.

“I’m going to register him with the name Zev Prince,” Severus continued. “No one should ever have to be saddled with my father’s disgusting last name. Prince is a well known name in the wizarding community and I think my ancestors would like to see another child with the Prince name running around, even if he isn’t related by blood.”

“It really is similar to your name, though,” Remus said. “Sev... Zev…”

“When have I ever been called Sev?”

Remus and Sirius shared a look. Severus was right, neither of them had ever heard him called anything other than Severus, Snape, or their cruel name for him, Snivellus.

“I concede,” Remus grinned, going back to eating his dinner.

“Welcome to the family, Zev Prince,” Sirius smiled over at the bassinette. “While we appreciate how quiet you are, we do wish you’d tell us when you were hungry or messy…”


	3. Chapter 3

Three months into being new parents and Sirius returned home after a shopping trip, a few minutes ahead of Remus, to… someone singing? Dropping his backpack on the ground, the long haired young man followed the noise to the bathroom where he could hear Severus singing over the sound of the water. He had no idea that Severus could sing, and he was singing quite well, come to think of it.

“Severus?” Sirius knocked gently on the bathroom door before opening it slowly, chuckling as the singing stopped abruptly.

“Were you singing?”

“It’s the only thing that stops him from crying,” Severus sighed, sticking a hand out from behind the curtain and pointing to the towel wrapped infant sleeping soundly in the bassinette that had been rolled into the bathroom.

“In the shower?”

“There was a three fluid blowout,” came the response. “Scourgify only does so much, and it certainly doesn’t remove the scent. I opted to shower the both of us off so we could get rid of the stench and when I put him in the bassinette so I could clean myself off… he started wailing.” Indeed the little blonde was starting to fuss now that Severus had stopped singing, making Sirius smile.

“You finish up in here, I’ll take care of Zev,” he said, moving to lift the baby into his arms, humming softly. Severus voiced his appreciation, returning to cleaning himself off and thoroughly scrubbing his skin. Dragging the bassinette behind him, Sirius left the bathroom and quietly closed the door.

“We’re glad you finally found your voice, little bean, but sometimes we regret wishing for it.”

Remus returned home only minutes later, smiling at the sight of Sirius dressing the child in a clean outfit, the door to the nursery wide open. They had opted to expand the apartment and give Zev a room of his own as soon as the baby had started properly crying.

“Severus needed a break, eh?”

“They had a bit of a messy day,” Sirius chuckled. “I took over so he could finish getting clean. Though I thought he would be out by now.” When Sirius frowned, Remus’ own face followed along and he flicked his wand and set the groceries to putting themselves away.

“What’s wrong?”

“He seemed absolutely exhausted,” Sirius admitted. “I didn’t see him, but his voice told me plenty… I think I should go talk to him.”

“While he’s still in the shower?”

“I think it’s time, yup.” Sirius shared a quick kiss with Remus before trusting his lover to take care of Zev while he once more entered the bathroom. The smell of vanilla and mint filled his nose and he smiled to himself, this was his favorite scent.

“Yes?”

“Just me, Severus,” Sirius said softly. “I wanted to come check on you. Your voice has betrayed you, I can tell something is wrong.” When Severus didn’t respond, Sirius took it as a sign and opted to strip down, tugging the shower curtain back. He was surprised to find Severus sitting down, knees pulled up against his chest, and worry spread over his features.

“Alright then, budge up, I’m going to sit behind you.”

“There isn’t that much room in here…” Severus tried to protest but he moved forward anyways, glancing away from Sirius’ nakedness as the other male settled behind him. It took a bit of maneuvering, and a grumble from Sirius about not bringing his wand in with him to enlarge the bath tub, but soon enough they were settled together. Sirius curled his legs around Severus’ slender hips and draped his legs over Severus’, tangling the two of them together as he coaxed the other boy to relax back against him. Arms curled around Severus’ torso and hands resting against the soft, flat stomach, Sirius rested his chin on Severus’ shoulder.

“Alright then, spill it. Something’s wrong, I can tell. You sounded at the end of your rope, and that’s not the Severus I know and live with.” It took some time for Severus to relax back into Sirius’ embrace but soon enough he let out a huge sigh and Sirius felt the other man’s body relax properly, water falling down over their legs and Severus’ stomach.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Severus sighed heavily. “I work six days a week, you work five days a week, and that really only leaves you and Remus one day to be alone together…”

“Which is your only day off,” Sirius spoke softly considering how close his mouth was to Severus’ ear. “Not to mention you study at night on top of tending to Zev.” His hands gently stroked against the smooth skin of Severus’ stomach, an automatic soothing motion he really wasn’t aware he was doing.

“Raising Zev is a team effort,” he continued. “We had you move in with us because we wanted to help you raise him, remember? We’re a family. Hell, we all call ourselves his daddy, despite there being three of us.”

“But you two only get one day alone,” Severus tried to argue but Sirius wouldn’t have it.

“We see each other after I get home from work, and we share a bed, Severus. We’re parents, it’s how things are.”

“You aren’t really his parents…”

“Oh really? We’ve fed him just as much as you have. Changed his diapers. Stayed up at night with him. Spent money on him. Damn rights we’re his parents.” 

“You can’t be parents when we aren’t a couple…”

“Are you serious? People get divorced and are still parents to the children they had, Severus. Don’t be stupid. Besides, we’re basically a couple.” Sirius huffed a little, tightening his hold on the slender boy sitting against his chest.

“What?”

“Remus kisses your cheek in the morning, Severus. I hug you a lot more than I think you’re okay with, but you still allow it. I mean, how many times have we all ended up in the same bed together with Zev sleeping on whoever ends up in the middle?”

“Couples have sex…”

“A relationship isn’t about having sex,” Sirius told him, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of having Severus in his arms. “I mean, sure, Remus and I have sex. A lot. But that isn’t what being in a relationship is all about. Hell, some people don’t even like sex, but they’re still in a relationship.”

After observing Severus for three months, Sirius and Remus had chatted at length about their dark haired friend and his strange doings. It had taken some time, a trip to speak with Poppy, and a book from the Hogwarts restricted section before they had come to a conclusion - Severus was Asexual, or at least on the Asexual spectrum.

And Sirius explained this to the young man in his arms, speaking slowly and giving Severus time to absorb the information he was being given.

“So… it’s okay if I’m not interested in sex?”

“Of course,” Sirius sighed, smiling. “Some people like affection, like hugs and kissing and such, but they don’t want to have sex. Some require an emotional connection to someone before they want to have sex. There’s a lot of aspects of sexuality that we really don’t know about, especially because we’re wizards. Anything outside the straight relationship realm isn’t really talked about because wizards are all about having kids and perpetuating the bloodline, but times are changing.”

“And you’re trying to tell me that you and Remus want to date me? Even if I may never have sex with you?”

“Absolutely.” Sirius let the idea linger in the air, gently nudging at Severus’ shoulder. “But first, time to get out of the shower. It’s Sunday and that means Remus is making an epic dinner for us and we get to clean up afterwards.” He got up first, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel to dry himself off. Severus followed not long after, though he opted to use his wand to dry himself off with a quick spell.

“Show off.”

“You just use spells a lot less than I do,” was the retort.

“Says the man who wears robes outside of school.”

“Traditional robes are better, anyways.”

“Oh?”

“Absolutely.”

“Why is that?”

“More pockets.”

*****

Six months into being a father, three months into being in a relationship, and Severus found himself wandering a baby supply store with Remus and Sirius. The two males were much more inclined to check out the Muggle contraptions than Severus was, but they always gravitated back to their stoic boyfriend. He was much more reserved in public, but he would admit that he enjoyed the way Remus hugged his arm, or how Sirius would reach out and hook two fingers into the pocket of his jacket. He had been forced to do away with his robes for this trip, Sirius trying incredibly hard to get the dark haired young man to dress more ‘modern,’ but the long jacket Sirius had procured for him was an adequate exchange.

“Severus?” The voice sent chills running down Severus’ spine and he found his breath catching as he turned towards it. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy stood not far away and Severus’ heart began to race.

“How unexpected,” Lucius drawled. “Shopping for a pram?”

“S-something like that,” Severus stammered out. Remus came down the aisle towards him and wrapped one arm around Severus’, stepping close and picking up on the tension brewing between the two.

“I didn’t know you had a child,” Narcissa smiled, rocking the pram that held her own six month old son.

“Oh, not me,” Severus forced himself to say, hoping his anxiety wasn’t showing. “Sirius and Remus had a child not long after we graduated… I kind of stumbled into the… relationship…” The word was still foreign to him, but it wasn’t a lie. Sirius opened his mouth to debate the paternity of the child but before he could say anything, Remus gripped his arm rather tightly. The wavy haired male glanced at his lover before taking the hint and staying quiet.

“A bit of an oops,” Remus smiled sheepishly, his head tilting a little. “Who knew men could get pregnant! Something about compatible magic, apparently, it’s really quite fascinating if you’d like to know more…”

Narcissa seemed quite interested, taking a step forward before Lucius laid a hand on the pram and made her step back.

“No, thank you,” he said curtly. “We have more than enough unwanted information to process. Good day to you all.” The blonde gave a nod and guided his wife away, abandoning their shopping trip in favor of leaving the store completely.

Severus had to lean on Remus, scared that his knees were going to give out under him. Remus and Sirius both stared at him, Sirius reaching behind Remus to stroke Zev’s head, the infant slumbering in the sling he was being carried in.

“Sevvy…” Remus began, frowning up at the taller male. “Is… did you get Zev… Is he a Mal--” Severus’ hand came up so quickly and pressed against Remus’ mouth so hard that he nearly slapped him. Immediately he jerked away, whispering apologies, worried he had caused pain to the brunette. Remus leaned into the touch as Severus cupped his cheek in apology, turning his head to gently kiss his palm.

“It’s okay, you didn’t hurt me,” he assured him.

“We can talk about this at home,” Sirius declared. “Let’s finish picking up the things we need and get back to the flat, yeah?” Severus nodded, though he still found himself glancing around the shop as though he would see Lucius again.

“There’s no way he’s coming back in here, Sevvy,” Remus tried to assure him. “If the gay didn’t scare him off, the gays getting pregnant sure as hell did.”

“I didn’t know that was a thing,” Sirius mused.

“It’s not, I made it up,” Remus grinned. “But I know how purebloods are and I figured it would make them leave right quick.” Severus could only nod, following his two boyfriends around as they laughed about the situation and picked out new clothes and such for Zev. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to relax until they were back at home and there was no way Lucius Malfoy, or his wife, would spot Zev and his white blonde hair.

“Should we actually buy a pram?” Sirius paused, glancing at the prams that were in the window of the shop.

“I mean… we pack him everywhere…” Remus tried to rationalize even as he too approached the display and slid his fingers over the brand new chrome and black leather of the outside of the pram.

“Most people have prams that are passed down from generation to generation.” A woman with a bright smile spoke from near by, her ginger hair eye catching. She was pushing a pram that looked as though it had seen better times, and inside was a peacefully sleeping red headed baby bundled tightly against the early December cold.

“We don’t really have… families like that,” Remus smiled, feeling somewhat sheepish. Sirius had been disowned, Severus had fled and never looked back (not that he had ever felt wanted), and Remus too had parents who wanted nothing to do with him. The woman made her way closer, her smile never ending, making Severus wonder how in the world she was so upbeat.

“That’s truly a shame, you poor dears,” she all but cooed, offering out a hand. “Molly Weasley.” The three males glanced at one another before politely shaking hands and introducing themselves. When none of their names seemed to make Molly wary of them, they introduced the sleeping Zev whom Molly immediately fussed over.

“He’s almost the same age as my Ron,” she told them, reaching down to stroke her own son’s head. “Ron was born March first.”

“Zev was June fifth,” Severus smiled, looking down at the small, red headed infant and silently comparing him to his own child.

“Are the three of you raising him?” Molly asked, still smiling.

“Erm, yes, actually,” Sirius admitted, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head. Being gay in the wizarding world was uncommon and they often wondered how others would react, especially considering the uncomfortable look Lucius had given them when Severus had said they were in a relationship.

“Oh, that’s truly lovely, I’m happy for the three of you,” Molly told them. “I think everyone should have the chance to be a parent, regardless of their choice of partner.”

“I’d love if you could tell everyone else that,” Remus laughed. “We’re drawing weird looks.”

“Don’t worry about those people,” she said. “Just focus on your beautiful son. I’m sure he’s going to like whatever pram you decide to buy for him.” Severus glanced at the display pram once again, wincing at the price.

“Maybe another day,” he said quietly. “After we save up a little more.” He knew Sirius would argue that his inheritance would more than cover the cost but it was still hard for Severus to allow the other man to pay for things. He wasn’t used to having someone provide for him and they were still so new to their relationship that he worried something would go wrong and he would be expected to pay back every galleon Sirius spent on Zev.

“Second hand items never hurt anyone, dear,” Molly reached over and patted Severus’ hand before giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t feel pressured to buy new items, especially if you’re planning on having more than one child. A baby has no idea that they’re using second, or third, or more, hand items and people who care are people who shouldn’t be your friend.” The red headed woman then pressed a card into Remus’ hand - the business card of a local second hand store - and wished the boys the best, pushing her pram from the store.

“That’s… why couldn’t my mother be like that?” Sirius sighed, watching the older woman leave the shop.

“Ditto,” Remus agreed, showing the two the card that Molly had left with them. Some items were better off purchased brand new, but for the most part, Severus felt like they were going to make frequent trips to the second hand shop.

*****

Severus gratefully accepted a cup of tea as he nestled himself into his favorite living room chair, pulling a fuzzy blanket around him and all but burrowing himself out of sight. The chance meeting with Lucius had really unsettled him and his new boyfriends were worried about his somewhat extreme, and dramatic, response.

“Shall I fetch you a calming draught, Sevvy?” Remus asked softly, sitting across from the dark haired male and watching Severus with a concerned expression.

“I’m not that bad, am I?” came the response, making Sirius chuckle as he emerged from the nursery, having put Zev down for a nap.

“Well, last time we saw you acting this way, you eventually went catatonic,” he told Severus, grinning and flopping down on the couch beside Remus. “I got to take your pants off, that time. Never pegged you for someone who wore tighty whitey underwear, by the way.” Severus flushed, sipping his tea.

“Yes, well, most wizards don’t wear anything under their robes, so I’ve evolved from that.”

“Have you considered wearing boxers?”

“And have my bits flopping around, unsupported? Absolutely not.” Severus snorted at the very thought. The three lapsed into silence for several minutes before Remus sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Let’s just talk about this and get it over with,” he said. “Is Zev a Malfoy?”

“Yes,” Severus answered honestly, his attention focussed on his cup of tea.

“How in the world did you end up with him?” Sirius asked.

“Lucius gave him to me,” he tried to remind them of how this had all started, back on the front step of James Potter’s new house.

“I was supposed to get rid of him… I told you this…” Severus’ voice was growing more and more quiet as the conversation progressed. “Pureblood families dictate a first born male… Narcissa had two… the Healer failed to detect the twin and so they weren’t able to terminate him… Lucius told me to dispose of him, his words, not mine.”

Sirius and Remus looked horrified, staring with wide eyes as Severus finally spilled the information he had been holding in for the last six months. Part of Severus felt incredibly anxious about sharing such information, and part of him felt relief in the fact he no longer needed to hide Zev’s history.

“So… if Zev had been female, or born a year later…?”

“This never would have been an issue,” Severus agreed. “But he was a twin and Lucius clings so desperately to the old, traditional ways that he orchestrated the murder of an innocent child.”

“But you didn’t do it,” Remus smiled, trying to calm the slender male.

“He thinks I did, and he almost found out that I kept the child and that we’re raising him as ours.”

“Well… did you really think that you would be able to hide him forever?” Sirius asked somewhat bluntly, causing Remus to elbow him in the ribs for being so rude.

“No, but I figured I could hide him long enough to figure out how to protect him,” Severus said. “I don’t know what that entails, I’ve been too focussed on raising Zev, working, and studying.”

“Not to mention we sprung a relationship on you without really thinking about it,” Remus smiled sheepishly.

“I’m still figuring that out as well,” Severus nodded. “But… I don’t regret agreeing to it. I’m still learning, but you both are very patient with me, and I am grateful for that.”

Remus set his own tea down and opened his arms, his head tilting to one side as he silently asked Severus to move to the couch and settle between himself and Sirius. The other man seemed to ponder this for a few moments before setting his tea down and moving onto the couch, dragging his blanket with them. The three arranged themselves on the small couch, Severus leaning his back against Sirius’ side and draping his legs over Remus’ lap.

“Do you think we should have words with the ministry?” Remus asked, draping Severus’ blanket over the two of them. Sirius wound an arm around Severus’ torso, hugging him gently.

“Probably. I don’t want to cause any problems, especially with how much… influence… the Malfoy name has. He could be investigated, and maybe even charged, but I worry about the consequences… I worry about him taking revenge and coming after Zev.”

“What can we do?”

“I don’t honestly know…”


	4. Chapter 4

Christmas was never Severus’ favorite time of year. In fact, the lanky dark haired man couldn’t really remember a time he had truly had a good christmas. His memories of the holiday season included getting a small gift from his mother, given in secret when his father wasn’t around, and with whispers of keeping it hidden from the man. Usually it was something Severus needed, like socks and underpants, or sometimes it was a sweet treat the child hadn’t had in a long time.

This year was going to be different, at least, that’s what Sirius and Remus had decided. While neither of them truly had good memories of the holidays either, they had spent the last three with the Potter family and had seen exactly what christmas could be.

That was why Severus woke up to the sounds of christmas music and singing, the slender male walking out of his bedroom without much thought to his state of dress, only interested in what all the noise was about. As soon as he opened his door he was greeted to sparkling tinsel as well a combination of brightly colored garland and the more traditional green spruce-like garland. And it was everywhere.

His surprise over the decorating and singing was nothing compared to the surprise Remus and Sirius were experiencing at the sight of their usually well composed boyfriend standing in the living room in… absolutely nothing.

Starkers.

Naked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many decorations, outside of Hogwarts,” Severus commented, lifting a hand and running it through his long, dark hair.

“I’ve never seen you so openly naked,” Remus commented, trying to avoid staring but failing miserably.

“I’ll never get tired of seeing your body,” Sirius grinned, taking in as much of the sight as he could before Severus realized what was going on and fled back to his bedroom. Hidden beneath Severus’ traditional robes was a rather slender body, surprisingly toned considering Severus wasn’t the ‘work out’ type, and lacking body hair of any kind.

“Rude,” Severus huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Ogling me like a piece of meat.”

“You’re the one standing there in the nude.”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly, you are correct, but sleeping nude is hardly anything new. I’m sure the two of you sleep in the nude more often than not.”

“We’re not the ones running around the house with our dick out,” Sirius chuckled, impressed that Severus hadn’t covered his body or fled back to his bedroom.

“I have no reason to be ashamed of my body,” was the response before Severus turned and headed back to his bedroom to fetch his robes. Remus and Sirius both felt their heads tip to the sides as they blatantly ogled Severus’ incredibly perky backside.

“Bloody hell,” Sirius breathed.

“We’re lucky men,” Remus agreed.

“I had no idea he was hiding that body under those robes… and I’ve seen him naked twice now!”

“Even those sweatpants you put him in left way too much to the imagination…”

Severus rolled his eyes when he found the two still entranced by his previous nudity, adjusting his robes as he came back into the living room. He didn’t understand their intense reaction to his body - it was just a body! His was certainly nothing special, or so he thought, but he didn’t have a reason to hide his body in a shameful way. Years of partially-communal showers at Hogwarts also stripped a good portion of modesty from him.

“Good morning, by the way,” he told them, pausing briefly to share a brief kiss with each man before continuing to the bassinette where Zev was laying. Just over six months old now, the blonde boy was slowly becoming more and more aware of the world and had been propped up in such a way that he could watch the decorating.

Sirius smiled and embraced Severus from behind, startling the other man momentarily before he felt muscles relax and Severus slid his hands over Sirius’ where they wrapped around his stomach.

“Yes, yes, good morning,” Severus smiled as he said this, long fingers lacing with Sirius’. He wasn’t surprised when Remus approached him from the front and curled his arms around Severus’ neck, sandwiching him between himself and Sirius.

“We were thinking,” Remus said, feeling Severus embrace him in return.

“A dangerous thing.”

“Shush you, this is serious.”

“No, I’m Sirius,” Sirius chuckled, resting his chin on Severus’ shoulder, making Remus snort and Severus roll his eyes once more.

“This is our first christmas as a couple,” Remus continued. “Are there any holiday traditions that you want to start? We were thinking about getting a real tree, and doing some baking, and we always go over to James’ house…” He trailed off, realizing that things had changed between the three friends and he wondered what that meant for christmas. They hadn’t spoken since getting the announcement of Harry’s birth, and even that was somewhat tense.

“I don’t really have any traditions,” Severus shrugged, feeling himself start to sway a little as Sirius swayed behind him. “I’m content doing anything you want to do.”

“What if James still wants us to come over?”

“Well, if he’ll have me in his home without insulting me, or asking too many questions about Zev… and if you want me to accompany you, I will come.”

“Of course we want you to come!” Sirius hugged him tighter, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Severus’ neck. “You’re our lover, and this is our first christmas together. We wouldn’t dare ask you to stay home.”

Severus smiled, pulling Remus closer as well, the three simply resting against once another with a comfortable sigh. He caught the smaller brunette off guard when he rested his forehead against Remus’, looking into his eyes for several moments, watching a smile bloom across Remus’ face.

“What are you thinking?” Remus asked, but the response wasn’t what he was expecting. Severus leaned his head down a little more and captured Remus’ lips with his own, making Remus inhale quickly in surprise. Sirius’ eyes widened as well, watching the two share their very first kiss.

“I’m thinking that I’m lucky to have such amazing boyfriends,” Severus spoke softly as the kiss broke, trying to ignore the blush that tinged his cheeks. Remus moved to kiss Severus again before thinking better of it and simply hugging himself close, pressing his face against Severus’ neck and smiling against his smooth skin.

“We love you, too, Sevvy,” he mumbled.

Love. That wasn’t a word that they had shared with one another yet, and Severus hadn’t actually said it, but they didn’t exactly have the most traditional relationship, now did they? But it felt right, whatever they were doing, and none of them were going to complain.

Zev’s desire to be included in the cuddle broke the three apart and Severus scooped up his son, holding him close and kissing his nose, bouncing gently.

“Let’s finish decorating this place,” Sirius grinned. “Severus can feed Zev and then we can all get dressed for the outside world and do some holiday shopping.”

*****

Severus was reminded why he chose a profession that didn’t involve a lot of human interaction - people were not something he enjoyed, especially not in large amounts. Holidays crowds were even worse and it was only because he was packing Zev on his chest that Severus was jostled around less than Sirius and Remus were. He still kept a hand resting on Zev’s back as they walked, almost worried that something bad was going to happen to the child.

“Is there anywhere specific that you want to go, Severus?” Sirius asked, two fingers hooked in one of Severus’ pockets. He and Remus liked making physical contact in some way, shape, or form, and Severus was less interested in the contact, especially in public. They had found a perfect compromise, usually with Sirius holding onto a pocket (or hooking his pinky finger around Severus’ pinky finger). Remus liked holding onto his arm and alternated between holding onto Severus and holding hands with Sirius.

“Not particularly,” Severus said. “I’m not familiar with gift giving traditions, so I hope you won’t feel insulted if I don’t give you anything good.”

“You don’t have to give us anything at all, Sevvy,” Remus smiled at him from his place on Sirius’ opposite side. “Just being with you is more than a good enough gift.”

“Such a sap,” Sirius teased. “But he’s right, if you aren’t comfortable giving gifts, don’t feel obligated.” Severus offered a relieved smile. He had a few ideas when it came to gifts, but he wasn’t sure if they would be well received.

“Look, trees!” Remus surged ahead, dragging a laughing Sirius along with him as the display of spruce and pine trees drew attention from numerous shoppers. Severus trailed after the pair at a slower pace, stroking Zev’s pale hair as he watched Remus eagerly search for the perfect tree for their flat.

“Do you have decorations for the tree?” he asked Sirius, coming to stand beside him. The other dark haired male nodded, smiling.

“We had a tree last year as well and bought decorations and everything,” he told Severus. “We probably went a bit overboard, but it was out first christmas in our own place, even if we spent most of christmas day with James and Lily.”

“You’ll have to make sure to send him an owl and inquire about their plans for this year,” Severus nodded, thinking back to the earlier conversation. “Does he know that we’re dating?”

“He knows you moved in with us… but…”

“I understand. My last interaction with him was far from friendly, so I can see why you would be reluctant to announce our relationship.”

“We’re not ashamed of you,” Sirius frowned, turning to face his boyfriend directly. “Is that what you think?” Severus gave a small shrug.

“Can you help Remus get everything home? I have somewhere to be.” Sirius apparated away before Severus could respond, leaving the slender male confused and feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“Where did Sirius go?” Remus appeared at Severus’ side a few minutes later, making Severus shrug once again, telling Remus that their lover apparently had somewhere to be. Remus frowed for a moment but opted to focus on the tree he had found, bringing Severus over to check it out.

“You have got to be kidding.”

“Right? It’s perfect!”

“It’s bigger than our entire flat, Remus.”

“EXACTLY.”

“Good thing we can shrink it down in order to transport it,” Severus sighed, rocking his body gently as he heard Zev begin to fuss against his chest.

“Just in time, too,” Remus grinned. The brunette quickly paid for the tree and flicked his wand, shrinking it down so that it could be carried in the palm of his hand. Why a wizard would ever choose to live without magic was unknown to them.

*****

Sirius arrived home nearly two hours later, much to the displeasure of Remus who had wanted to decorate the tree but also wanted to wait so they could do it as a family. Zev was down for a nap, Remus was cleaning up the remains of lunch, and Severus was settled into his favorite chair, reading a potions book.

“I expected you to come back with an armful of shopping, considering how long you were gone,” Remus said from the kitchen, flicking his wand to put away any leftovers from their lunch sandwiches.

“I went and had words with James, actually,” Sirius told him, taking off his jacket and hanging it by the front door.

“Oh?” Remus leaned on the kitchen counter, peering over at his lover. “And?”

“Lots of yelling, some fighting, Lily threw water on us, and Harry is almost as cute as Zev. Almost.”

Remus’ eyes widened.

“WHAT?”

Severus did everything in his power not to look up from his book, though his fingers tightened on the pages and he was no longer paying attention to the words.

“Sirius Black, what the bloody hell did you do?” Remus came around the kitchen counter with a look that already told Sirius that he was going to be sleeping on the couch tonight, and perhaps for a while; Though he hoped his explanation would prevent such things.

“I told him pretty much everything,” Sirius shrugged, flicking his wand towards the kitchen to summon himself a glass of lemonade. “I told him we took Severus and Zev into our home after he turned them down. I told him Zev wasn’t any of ours, but we love him and are raising him as ours anyways. I told him we fell for Severus and asked him to be in a relationship with us, which he agreed to. I told him that we still want to be friends, and involved in Harry’s life, and that we’d love to have our traditional christmas of hanging out in the Potter house.”

“And?” Remus asked cautiously. “That can’t have been all of it, not if you two beat on one another and Lily had to break you up with a bucket of cold water.”

“I told him he was being a selfish twat who is living in the past,” Sirius admitted. “We’re all older, more mature, and aren’t the people we used to be. We’ve grown up, so why the hell hasn’t he?”

“Bloody hell,” Remus sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and moving to join Sirius in the living room on the couch.

“I suppose you think you were acting admirably,” Severus commented, placing a bookmark before he snapped his textbook closed with such force that both Sirius and Remus jumped. They watched their dark haired boyfriend set the book down and unfold his legs from under himself, leaning forward and observing Sirius.

“I know we don’t say it much, or at all, really… but we love you, Severus,” Sirius defended himself. “You’re our boyfriend, our lover. Sure, it’s not a traditional relationship, but we’re all happy together, aren’t we?”

“Incredibly content,” Remus agreed.

“So why can’t I fight for us to get along with James, who I’ve been friends with since we were eleven? Am I supposed to just leave you behind every time we take Zev to play with Harry? For christmas? Because I don’t want that!” Sirius was getting a bit agitated now, gripping his glass of lemonade.

“My presence in this relationship shouldn’t disrupt any other part of your life,” Severus told him. “I don’t need to be part of every little excursion or event.”

“But do you want to be?” Remus frowned, wondering if they were all misinterpreting how this relationship was going.

“Well, for some things, I suppose.”

“But not all of them?” Sirius asked.

“Well, I can tolerate most, for small periods of time,” Severus conceded. “But despite your efforts, I have quite the history with James Potter and I don’t think we’re going to every become best friends.”

“Are you still happy being with us?” Remus asked bluntly, suddenly very worried. Severus sighed softly and a small smile appeared.

“I know I don’t show emotions well,” he admitted. “I’ve never been very good at it, especially after my obsession issues. But Remi... you did so much research for me to help explain my strange emotions. Things I had never heard of before, but that made a lot of sense, and it helped me understand and adapt. As long as the two of you are fine with me possibly never showing sexual interest… I’m happy when you hold me, and kiss me.”

“I want one of those, by the way,” Sirius grumbled, making Remus grin and stick out his tongue in triumph of receiving the first real kiss.

“What happened with Potter?” Severus turned the conversation back towards the original topic, relaxing back into his chair.

“Well, we swung at one another, we broke a lamp, there was a lot of swearing, Lily threw a bucket of water on us, we laughed at one another, had a shot of firewhiskey, and James named me Harry’s godfather.”

“WHAT?”

“Remus, please,” Severus sighed. “Just let him tell the story. He’ll get there, eventually.”

“James wants us to come for christmas day, Severus included,” Sirius grinned. “And he told me he wanted me to be Harry’s godfather. Apparently he’s been trying to tell me since he found out he was pregnant, but the right time never came, and then the incident with Zev happened… but he still wants it to be me.”

“And?”

“I said yes, of course,” Sirius said. “So we’re having christmas dinner with the three of them. All four of us.”

“I’ll procure a bottle of Potter’s favorite alcohol, then,” Severus decided, making Sirius and Remus chuckle.


	5. Chapter 5

Christmas morning dawned with Severus making tea and charming it to stay warm before he moved into the nursery to gather Zev into his arms. He found himself humming a christmas song as Zev babbled happily at him during his morning diaper change.

“Let’s go wake up your daddies for christmas, yeah?” he smiled, dressing the boy in a holiday themed onesie and picking him up once more. Still humming, Severus made his way into Sirius and Remus’ bedroom, flicking his wand as he went and turning on christmas lights and christmas music in the living room. The two males in the bed didn’t stir when Severus entered, but the dark haired male had no intention of simply standing around until they did. He stepped onto the foot of the bed and, showing impressive balance - considering he was carrying an infant - he deposited directly between the two, making the bed shake and forcing the two to spread apart.

“Nnn…?”

“What…?”

“Sevvy?” Remus tugged his arm out from under Severus’ back, blinking sleepily at the man who had joined them in the bed. He smiled as his vision cleared and he saw Zev laying on his boyfriend’s chest, lifting a hand to gently stroke the boy’s soft hair.

“Happy christmas,” Severus smiled. Sirius shuffled closer, nuzzling his face against Severus’ neck and pressing a kiss to the soft skin he found. He wasn’t expecting Severus to turn his body ever so slightly, nudging his forehead against the other man’s and making Sirius lift his head. Before either could say anything, Severus pressed his lips against Sirius’. It was soft, sweet, and lasted only a handful of seconds, but it said everything it needed to, and was everything Sirius had been dreaming of.

“Happy christmas indeed,” was Sirius’ response as the kiss broke, resting his forehead against Severus’ with a sleepy smile on his face.

“I made tea,” Severus smiled in return. “And Zev is going to need to be fed.”

“Plus presents,” Remus chuckled, sitting up and taking Zev from his place on Severus’ chest. “I’ll get Zev fed, you two can start breakfast.”

“I’m more than happy to eat what Severus has brought me in bed,” Sirius grinned, leaning forward for another kiss only to be blocked by Severus’ hand.

“Breakfast,” the other man told him, using Sirius’ chest to push himself up before he got out of bed.

“He might need a cold shower,” Remus teased, following Severus out of the bedroom. Together the three men moved around the flat, preparing for the holiday. Sirius donned festive pajama bottoms and nothing else. Remus wore flannel pants and a matching long sleeve. Severus had taken a liking to Sirius’ sweatpants and the same Quidditch top he had been dressed in the first day he had woken up in the flat. It was somewhat of a guilty pleasure when he felt the need to be safe and comfortable, as usually he slept naked or dressed as a much more traditional wizard.

Breakfast was eaten, tea was drank, and presents were handed out among the four of them. Of course Zev was spoiled rotten, receiving gifts from all three of his fathers as well as Molly and Arthur Weasley and Frank and Alice Longbottom (whom they knew from their work in the Order).

Remus and Sirius exchanged sappy gifts, as lovers do, before opening their presents from Severus - Remus received a bottle of something black and swirling, the vial making his eyes widen as he stared at Severus.

“Is this…?”

“Of course,” Severus smiled.

“This is a highly advanced potion, Sevvy…”

“And you think I couldn’t brew it for you? If I could invent a potion to cure you, I would. But right now, this is the best I can do.” Remus barely took the time to pass the vial off to Sirius before he launched himself over the coffee table, throwing himself into Severus’ arms. He found himself pressing his face against Severus’ neck, mumbling thank you over and over again. The potion was incredibly expensive and most potion masters had no interest in taking the time to brew something with no shelf life. It took a long time to brew, took incredible skill, and only lasted a week - precisely as long as the drinker needed to take it prior to the full moon. This meant the potion needed to be precisely timed.

“I’ll be brewing it every month,” Severus smiled, stroking Remus’ head before pressing a kiss to his bed-ruffled hair.

“You’re amazing…”

“I try my best.” With Remus still in his arms, Severus motioned for Sirius to open his gift. It was a small box, much like the one that contained Remus’ potion, but this one contained a simple slip of paper.

“I couldn’t do your gift until I gave it to you,” Severus gave a small smile. “I’ll be doing a full renovation of the bathroom, including a brand new soaker tub. The shower will be charmed to adjust both spray strength and angle of the spray.” Sirius’ eyes had widened at the mention of a renovation but he began doing a happy dance in his chair when Severus told him all the plans.

“Oh, and adjustable mood lighting.”

“You really are amazing,” Sirius echoed Remus’ original sentiments.

“Oh, and scents!” Severus had almost forgotten. “It’s potions based, and I’ll be making sure we’re well stocked, but there will be a variety of scents that steam up while you’re showering or in the bath.”

“You’re making our gift seem somewhat boring,” Remus huffed.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Of course we did,” Sirius snorted. “You’re our boyfriend, damn rights we’re going to get you something.” Remus removed himself from Severus’ arms so that the pair could produce a small, flat box. They watched with smiles on their faces as Severus pulled the hand tied bow and opened the box with long fingers, peering inside at the contents.

Sitting nestled carefully in tissue paper was a hand bound, leather notebook, a phoenix feather quill, and a jar of midnight black ink.

“Every potions master needs a proper record of their learnings,” Remus smiled. “No more rolls of parchment. This is where you properly record everything and become the best potions master the wizarding world has ever seen.” Severus couldn’t help but chuckle at Remus’ encouragement and held back a snarky retort in favor of savoring the moment. For the time being, at least.

“It’s lovely,” he told them honestly, stroking his fingers over the soft, supple leather cover. “I’ll certainly make use of it.”

Severus wasn’t surprised when Remus and Sirius skittered back to their bedroom not long after, no doubt looking to enjoy the holiday with a quick shag. The slender young man checked on his son before moving to renovate the bathroom as promised, flicking his wand here and there as he tweaked and modified everything precisely to his liking. Magic was a wonderful thing, though he did sacrifice a bit of his own bedroom space in order to make the bathroom a tad larger. Storage was always a good thing in a bathroom, especially since Remus and Sirius tended to dry themselves off with towels instead of with magic.

“Might as well test it out…” Severus mumbled to himself, eyeing his handiwork with a small smile. Not trusting the other two males to pay attention to Zev’s cries, the infant’s bassinette was brought into the bathroom as well. Zev slumbered soundly while his father stripped off his pajamas and started the shower, testing out different spray functions and positions of the shower head. Keeping the shower curtain translucent, Severus allowed himself to settle in the tub, water raining down over his lower body.

“Should have installed the scent potions,” he sighed, thinking of how relaxing it would be to bask in vanilla or coconut scented steam while he ignored the actions going on in the room beside the bathroom. He could have joined them, he knew that, but he still wasn’t sure if that was the road he wanted to take. He cared deeply for Sirius and Remus, that much he knew, but having sex with ANYONE hadn’t ever really been on his radar. Sure, he might fancy a quick wank here and there, just to let off a little tension, but between working, studying, and taking care of Zev, there wasn’t a lot of times where he had the energy for such things.

A knock on the bathroom door jolted Severus from his thoughts and he jumped a little.

“Yes?”

“Just making sure you’re alive in there,” Sirius said through the door. “Did you fall asleep?”

“Have I been in here that long?”

“Long enough for us to shag, twice,” was the response and Severus sighed.

“Alright, I’m getting out in a minute, just hold on.” A quick wash of his body and hair, a flick of his wand to dry himself off, and Severus stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his slender hips. The two very ruffled men grinned at him, making him roll his eyes and wave a hand at them.

“Get cleaned up, you horny beasts. I assume we’ll be heading to Potter’s once you’re done.” He paused only long enough to bring Zev along with him, the boy still sleeping soundly, though it wouldn’t last long. Another meal would be needed shortly, and Severus would have to pack a bag for him seeing as though he wasn’t sure how long they would be away from home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter, I'm afraid. Going through a bit of a block... life is a thing. Will do my best to update soon! Love you all!


	6. Author Update

Hello my amazing readers, thank you so much for all your support and kudos and comments!

I just wanted to let you know that I **do** have plans to finish this fic, but there have been some... occurances in my life that have made my muse go away :(

Please accept my apologies as I delay my updates until further notice, but I have every intention of returning and posting a new chapter once things are less... uncertain.

Love you all <3


	7. Chapter 7

A bottle of Swott Malt Whiskey and the whole story regarding Zev’s arrival into his life, and Severus and James found themselves sitting comfortably in front of the fire while their partners chatted happily. Zev slept soundly in a bassinette beside the slumbering Harry, the two infants less than two months apart in age. Perhaps they would be friends when they grew older?

The visit passed smoothly, though Severus excused himself not long after dinner concluded. He assured his boyfriends that they were more than welcome to stay as long as they liked, but he had reached his socialization maximum for the day.

“We won’t be too late,” Remus tried to assure him but Severus simply smiled and shook his head, sharing a quick kiss.

“You all have a lot to catch up on, so stay as long as you like.” The dark haired young man lingered only long enough to kiss Sirius goodbye as well, leaning into the kiss ever so slightly as Sirius cupped his cheek.

“I’m trusting the two of you to behave, okay?” Severus pointed between Sirius and James, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, though a small smile graced his face at the same time.

“No promises,” Sirius chuckled, brushing his thumb over Severus’ bottom lip before he watched his boyfriend leave.

Severus couldn’t help but smile as he left the house, tucking Zev into his robes as he stepped into the cool winter air. He felt the warmth of the Potter’s magic wash over him as he moved through the wards that protected the house, taking a deep breath before apparating home. Or as close to home as his own protective wards would allow.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he spoke to his son, despite the boy sleeping soundly. “I’m happy that Potter… James… liked my gift. It certainly didn’t take him and Sirius long to break into it, that’s for sure. It was meant to be savored, not guzzled like irresponsible teenagers celebrating a Quidditch win.” When Zev offered no response, not that a near seven month old could offer one, Severus moved to change the boy before settling him for the night.

As Severus predicted, even if he hadn’t said such things out loud, Remus returned home shortly before midnight, sans Sirius. Severus was nestled in his favorite chair, potion textbook on one knee, and his new journal, quill, and ink on the other. He was writing the introduction to what would soon be a copious amount of potions notes, though he paused and smiled when Remus came through the front door.

“Oh! You’re still up!” Remus seemed surprised, but smiled at the sight of the taller man.

“Taking advantage of the holidays and the fact I don’t have to work in the morning,” Severus nodded towards his books. “Not to mention the quiet that comes from an empty house and a slumbering child.”

“You’re using it…” Remus smiled, kicking off his boots and moving to make himself a cup of tea before he settled on the couch.

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s a beautiful book and I intend to fill every single page.”

The two men lapsed into a comfortable silence as Remus sipped his tea and Severus continued with his writing, though midnight soon approached and as both began yawning, it was clearly time to retire to bed. Remus was surprised when Severus offered out a hand and nodded towards his bedroom. It was very rare that Severus brought either of them into his bed, mostly because his room was strictly non-sexual, but he wanted to spend the night snuggled close to Remus.

The two changed into their pajamas quietly and after one final check of Zev in his nursery, Severus and Remus climbed into bed together. Remus couldn’t help but smile as Severus wrapped his arms around his smaller frame and pulled him close.

“Happy Christmas, Remus.”

“Happy Christmas, Severus…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, all <3


	8. Chapter 8

Time seemed to fly by, or at least Severus thought so, because before he knew it, Zev was turning one. June 5th found Severus enjoying a rare day off from work, the young adult stretching in his bed as he listened to the sounds around him. He had taken the day off to celebrate the day with his son, even if the one year old would honestly have zero idea what the day was all about. Severus wanted his son to have the childhood that he never did, especially when it came to birthdays.

Remus and Sirius had no doubt been up before him and he trusted his lovers to take care of Zev before he woke, allowing him to sleep a bit longer. So he took his time, enjoying a leisurely shower and finger-combing a tiny amount of coconut oil through his hair for moisture before he donned his robes. Remus greeted him with a smile and a sweet kiss as Severus passed through the kitchen and living room, making his way to the nursery.

His eyes widened as he saw Zev, wide awake in his crib and standing against the side, reaching for his father, and sporting a head of silky chocolate brown hair. Severus stared at his son for several moments before frowning deeply, wondering what in the world had possessed his boyfriend to do such things. A quick diaper change and the donning of a new, special birthday outfit, Severus packed Zev into the living room.

“This is not a funny joke, Remus,” he huffed.

“What do you mean?” Remus turned away from where he had started making breakfast, though he nearly fumbled his wand when he caught sight of Zev and his brown hair.

“Severus! What did you do to him?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything! This was you!” Severus frowned once more, pointing a finger at the young man who had hair that matched the new color Zev had.

“Of course it wasn’t me,” Remus rolled his eyes, moving to run his fingers through Zev’s shaggy hair. “I know we always joke that his blonde hair is going to give him away one day, but come on Severus, this wasn’t needed.”

The two bickered back and forth a few times before Remus lifted his wand and tried to remove whatever spell had changed Zev’s hair color, wanting to end the argument as soon as possible. The two men looked quite surprised when the chocolate color remained and no blonde was to be seen.

“Sirius must have done this,” Severus concluded, heaving a sigh.

“Well, he saw Zev last, before you got up,” Remus nodded a little. “He wanted to say goodbye and said that Zev was still sleeping and he hadn’t wanted to wake him up. Then he went to work.”

“I should have known it was him.”

“Please don’t let this ruin your day, Severus…” Remus spoke softly, stroking their son’s head as he stepped close to his boyfriend, resting his other hand on Severus’ chest.

“It’s just a bit frustrating,” was the admission. “I know he doesn’t look anything like us, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to get rid of his blonde hair. Hair his color is rare.” Even if it made him blatantly a Malfoy, not that either of them would say it out loud. They had managed to go an entire year without Lucius finding out that Zev was still alive.

The rest of the day moved forward, the two men taking their son shopping, picking out new outfits and toys, and stopping by a bakery to pick up the cake Remus had specially ordered for Zev’s first birthday.

Sirius arrived home at his usual time, greeting his lovers with kisses, before he looked around for the birthday boy. Severus directed him to the nursery where Zev had been put down for a nap.

“He’s been down for long enough, though, so you’re welcome to wake him and bring him out here,” Severus smiled, marking his place in the potions text he had been reading. Sirius grinned and made his way into the nursery.

“Oh come on, guys,” came his groan from the nursery before Sirius made his way back into the main area. “I know we like to joke that he doesn’t look anything like us, but this? This is just unnecessary.”

“You’re the one who dyed his hair brown, Sirius,” Remus said. “Don’t try and play stupid.”

“Brown? His hair is black!” True to his word, Sirius was holding Zev - in his adorable Quidditch birthday outfit - the toddler’s hair an inky black color, matching both Sirius and Severus’ own hair color.

Remus and Severus glanced between one another before looking back at their son, confusion all over their faces.

“He had brown hair all day…” Remus said slowly, approaching the child and gently touching his hair.

“You didn’t change it when you went to wake him?” Severus asked.

“Why would I do that?”

The three men settled into their usual places in the living room, Remus explaining what had happened that morning after Sirius had gone to work. It was quite the conversation, no one quite sure what was going on. It wasn’t until Zev dozed off once again, resting against Remus’ chest, that Severus figured it all out. Right there, before his eyes, he watched Zev’s hair shift from midnight black to his original white blonde.

“Merlin’s beard!”

Both Sirius and Remus jumped at the sudden outburst, staring across the living room at their boyfriend. Severus motioned rapidly to their son, making the two lower their attention back to the child.

“It just… went back to normal while we were talking,” Severus mumbled, staring with wide eyes.

“He’s asleep,” Remus observed, tilting his head a little to view the boy’s slumbering face.

“What in the world is going on?” Sirius asked, stroking his hair over the white blonde hair.

*****

Poppy Pomfrey was confused when she suddenly found Severus, Remus, Sirius, and young Zev, in her medical wing. School had just let out and she didn’t have any appointments scheduled with the young family, so why in the world were they there? The three looked to be a combination of excited and nervous, Sirius holding Zev in his arms, one hand resting on the back of the child’s head.

“What a surprise, the three of you showing up without warning. I thought we agreed that you would arrange for an appointment, instead of simply showing up?”

“Sorry Poppy, but we didn’t know how to explain without simply bringing Zev to you,” Remus smiled sheepishly, glancing at the blonde who was snuggled into Sirius’ chest. When Poppy went to ask what was wrong, Remus held up a finger to silence her before he took Zev into his hands, though he didn’t take him away from Sirius immediately. Severus moved off to one side and Sirius readied himself, and with a silent count of three, Sirius moved out of Zev’s line of sight and Remus spun around with the child in his hands, pointing him towards Poppy.

“What in the world are you… three… doing…” Poppy’s words faded away as she watched Zev’s blonde hair shifted to match her own mousey brown color. All three men watched her expression carefully, watching the older woman understand why they hadn’t been able to simply send an owl.

“He… his hair…”

“Yeah, it’s been happening since his birthday,” Sirius grinned. “Every person he sees, he likes to copy. When he goes to sleep, or gets bored or upset, it goes back to blonde. It’s a pain to take him into the village for shopping, that’s for sure.”

“Can you tell us why it’s happening?” Severus, forever the voice of reason in the family. Poppy motioned for Remus to put Zev down on a bed, the group surrounding the child as he babbled happily and picked at the pristine sheets.

“I would have thought that one of you would have already figured it out,” she smiled at them. “Especially you, Severus, but Remus is just as clever.” When the two glanced at one another with confused expressions, Poppy rolled her eyes.

“He’s a Metamorphmagus, obviously.” Poppy lifted her wand and cast a few diagnostic spells none the less, though she had no doubt that Zev was completely healthy.

“He’ll eventually learn to control it, but until then it may be easier to become proficient in Glamour charms, to keep him from sporting different hair colors in public. I seem to recall that you don’t want him drawing attention… though I’d also wager that no one will ever recognize him now. Not easily, at least.”

“I thought that Metamorphs were incredibly rare?” Remus frowned, thinking back to his Defense Against Dark Arts classes.

“They are,” Poppy agreed. “But they also aren’t created by blood, or spell. Just like how there are Muggleborn witches and wizards, Metamorphmagus’ simply… are. There’s no way to test for it, or to ensure a child is born with the gift.”

“Will it only be his hair that changes?” Severus asked quietly, also remembering his schooling and how some Metamorphmagus’ were able to change all of their physical traits, rendering them very useful during infiltration missions.

“That depends on his skill, honestly. Some can change all aspects of their looks, some can only change one part. Just don’t panic if you find a strange child in your nursery one morning.” She was teasing, but there was a very good chance that Zev could indeed inadvertently shift his looks in such a way that he wouldn’t look like himself. That was something that worried Severus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, but at least it's a chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

“Dada… Daaadaaaa…”

“No, it’s papa. Paaapaaaaaa…”

“You realize there is three of us and he’s going to get incredibly confused?” Severus sighed, watching his boyfriends go back and forth in their attempts to get Zev to say his first words. Between talking and learning to walk, Severus wondered where the time had gone.

“How about this… Padfoot. Paaaaadfooooooot.”

“Kids struggle with P’s, so I think Moony is going to win out.”

“I think you’re both going to lose and he’ll surprise us by spouting ‘father’ or something.”

“If he does, you get that title,” Sirius wrinkled his nose. “It’s way too formal for me. That’s why I chose dada. I can be dad or daddy, whichever he chooses when he’s old enough to start considering the difference.”

“I just want Sirius to lose, but there really aren’t any other easily spoken first words,” Remus shrugged. “I couldn’t go with ‘mama,’ after all. That would just be all sorts of confusing.”

“So Zev is going to refer to us as Father, Papa, and Daddy?” Severus lifted an eyebrow, watching his son attempt to pull himself into a standing position, only to fall back onto his butt once more, the toddler squealing happily. Who knew that the most complicated part of being in a triad relationship was trying to figure out parental names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny chunk to tide ya'll over while I work on the final chapter.
> 
> PS: Another word for this poly relationship could be "throple" - like couple, but with a TH. Thanks a lot for that, Chloe -.-
> 
> PPS: I also stumbled upon a tumblr thread (on pinterest) referring to Sirius as "Dadfoot" and Remus as "Moomy" but while I absolutely LOVE it, I wasn't sure who to credit, so I opted not to use it...


	10. Chapter 10

Who knew Halloween would arrive so quickly! Severus couldn’t help but chuckle as Remus and Sirius fussed over Zev and his costume. This would be the first year they actively participated in the holiday, seeing as Zev was nothing more than a lump in a carriage the previous year. This year he was dressed in an outfit that Sirius described as ‘motorcycle sheek’ - a tiny leather jacket, jeans, gloves (that Zev surprisingly put up with), and boots that made it impossible for the toddler to, well, toddle, without assistance.

Little did they know, there wouldn’t be any celebrating this year, either.

Before anyone could head out and attend any of the Halloween parties that were going on that year (because, let’s face it, Zev is still too young to go trick or treating), the patronus of none other than Albus Dumbledor summoned all members of the Order of the Phoenix. A non-scheduled meeting could only mean one thing - something bad had happened.

And so, this would be how the family of four became a family of five, Sirius holding little Harry Potter in his arms. The child fussed as he was sandwiched between Sirius and Remus, the two mourning the loss of their best friends. Severus mourned as well, though not as strongly as his lovers, stroking Zev’s head as he looked around at the sad faces of those around them. What did one say at a time like this? How did such a tragedy even occur? Hadn’t the Potters been protected? Everyone knew they had been a target, after all. Just like the Longbottom’s, though Frank, Alice, and baby Neville had arrived to the impromptu meeting, unharmed.

“How did this happen?” Remus looked around at the other members of the Order. “Who sold them out? Only a handful of people knew where their new place was!” Sirius rested his forehead against Remus’ shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“Remi… not now…” he tried, but Remus shook his head, stepping away from his boyfriend with fists clenched at his sides.

“Not now? Then when?! Someone ratted out my best friends and I want to know how in the hell that happened!” His voice startled Harry, causing the young child to start crying, which in turn made Zev begin to cry as well. Sirius and Severus soothed their respective child, Severus wishing he could help ease the pain that they were all feeling.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Albus told them, his voice calm and controlled. “But right now the five of you should return home and take the time you need to mourn.”

The threat of the Dark Lord continuing to hunt members of the Order down had been eliminated with the fall of Lily and James Potter - their love for Harry, combined with the Order’s fervent destruction of the Horcruxes (thank you Regulus Black for your hard work while under the supposed servitude of the Dark Lord), had left Voldemort laying on the floor of the nursery alongside Lily. Harry would grow up without fear of being murdered by the Dark Lord, and Neville Longbottom and his family would never need to know the fear.

Despite his anger, Remus agreed to Albus’ wishes and returned to his flat with his lovers. Life would certainly be an adjustment now that they had another child, though it was made somewhat easier thanks to Harry and Draco being only two months apart in age.

*****

Severus frowned when there came a knocking on the door of his flat, dawning his robes to cover his partially naked body before he pulled open the door. Dark eyes went wide as he took in the sight of the Minister of Magic standing before him, the man flanked by two of his best Auror’s.

“M-Minister!” he stammered, stepping backward and motioning for the man to enter his home. Remus and Sirius were sitting on the floor with Harry and Zev, watching the toddlers play with their toys, though both were quick to move to their feet as they heard their lover speak.

“Please accept my apologies for your loss,” the Minister smiled sadly, declining a seat in favor of remaining standing. “I know you are grieving, but some information has come to light and couldn’t wait until the grieving period has ended.” The man motioned for the three young adults to sit, watching them squish together on the couch.

“Another tragedy has befallen the wizarding world,” he continued, clasping his hands in front of himself. “Late yesterday I was visited in my office by a house elf. The elf appeared with a child in his arms and a story of death and destruction.”

“Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy have been murdered by the Dark Lord, along with a friend of yours, Peter Pettigrew.”

All three glanced at one another, Severus sitting between Sirius and Remus and quickly taking their hands. It hadn’t been hard to come to a conclusion regarding who had betrayed the Potters, but now they weren’t so sure.

“We were able to extract memories from the house elf that helped shed light on the situation in Malfoy Manor,” the Minister told them, looking somber. “Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy summoned the Dark Lord, stating they had information regarding the Potters’ location… but in truth, they did not. They had captured Peter Pettigrew who had been tortured enough to let slip that he knew the location, as he was the Potters’ secret keeper.”

Severus tightened his grip on his lovers’ hands, willing them to stay silent.

“Enraged by his followers wasting his time, the Dark Lord killed them without hesitation. He then used the Cruciatus curse on Pettigrew until he could keep his secrets no longer and he too fell to Voldemort.”

“He didn’t choose to betray them…” Remus whispered, looking around Severus to lock eyes with Sirius. “He tried to be strong, but he was always the weakest of us…”

“We never would have known what had transpired if Dobby hadn’t arrived in my office, holding the Malfoy child in his arms.” Holding one hand out, the Minister gave a grim smile when Dobby the house elf materialized beside him, indeed holding one Draco Malfoy in his arms.

“Imagine our surprise when we ran a lineage spell to find his next of kin and were alerted to the fact that he had a twin brother… living under another roof.” The Minister and both Aurors turned their attention to the white blonde child playing with blocks on the living room floor.

“Curious that he wasn’t at the Manor with his brother…”

Severus sighed softly, leaning forward and stroking Zev’s soft hair. With a quiet voice he told the truth about Zev’s birth, and how he came to reside with Severus (and then Remus and Sirius). The Minister nodded, knowing all too well that some Pureblood families followed traditions that were outlawed, but still practiced.

“The Malfoy’s left no official documentation regarding the care of their son, should they pass unexpectedly. Seeing as you already care for one of their children, however unwanted he had been, I will ask you now… will you take in Draco as well?”

There was no hesitation, not from any of them. All three answered together,

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we come to the end. Thank you all so very much for sticking with me, especially through my hiatus, and the rush I've made to put out this final chapter.
> 
> This may not be my best work, but I wanted to finish it for all of my readers who have stuck with me thus far.


End file.
